Kid Authors

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The first step is to download the Fable app. From there, you’ll be able to create your own private or public book club and invite others to read with you. Once your club is created, click on the plus sign under “Currently reading” and search for this book to add it to your club.

By David Stabler & Doogie Horner

Publisher Description

Funny and totally true childhood biographies and full-color illustrations tell the tales from the growing-up years of Beverly Cleary, J. R. R. Tolkien, and 13 other great writers.

Every great author started out as a kid. Before the best sellers, fan clubs, and beloved stories we know today, the world's most celebrated writers had regular-kid problems just like you.

Sam Clemens (aka Mark Twain) loved to skip school and make mischief, with his best friend Tom, of course!
A young J. R. R. Tolkien was bitten by a huge tarantula—or as he called it, “a spider as big as a dragon.”
Toddler Zora Neale Hurston took her first steps when a wild hog entered her house and started chasing her!

Kid Authors tells their stories and more—the diverse and inclusive cast that includes Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, J. K. Rowling, Jules Verne, Lewis Carroll, Stan Lee—through kid-friendly texts and full-color cartoon illustrations on nearly every page.

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Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities

9 Reviews

3.5

Josie Cheung

Created 18 days ago

danlhart87

Created 3 months ago

Pozan

Created over 1 year ago

“Çocuk Yazarlar | David Stabler Yazımıyla ve çizimleriyle çok hoş bir çocuk kitabı olmasının yanı sıra anlattıklarıyla biz yazar ve yazar ruhlu insanların benzer olaylardan geçtiğini işaret etmesi açısından çok tatlı bir çalışma. Aynı kitabın sanatçı bilim insanı ve sporcu versiyonları da var üstelik.”

S S

Created almost 5 years ago

whitneymouse

Created over 5 years ago

“I have conflicting feelings about this book. After further deliberation about the book, I decided to give it a 3 out of 5 stars. While I applaud Stabler's writing style and work as a whole to make these kinds of stories accessible to young children, I'm not quite sure who his target audience is. The publisher's site says 8-12, but the writing may come off as pandering to a 12 year old and many of the authors will be ones an 8-10 year old hasn't read. For example, the first story is about J.R.R Tolkien, whose works are thick and probably too difficult for the average 3rd grader. Other authors I had this particular concern about were: -Edgar Allan Poe -Sherman Alexie -Zora Neale Hurston -Langston Hughes -Mark Twain -Jules Verne I have questions about the authenticity of some stories and/or author's involvement in the story, as well. J.K. Rowling's story, while ultimately about bullying, comes off like she had some involvement in the story. Compared to some of the other stories, it's longer and more about her positive achievements, which seemed suspicious to me. I also question the choice to include Sherman Alexie. I'm sure he was chosen for Native American representation, however, the book is written in a way to imply certain things happen that are misleading (e.g. He got a scholarship to Gonzaga followed by he was the first in his family to finish college. He didn't graduate from Gonzaga. He dropped out and went someplace else, where he dropped out again 3 credits shy of his degree. He was given a degree by the second college 3 years later). Additionally, it mentions he's won many awards (which is true), but doesn't make mention that he had both his Carnegie Medal and AILA award rescinded due to sexual harassment allegations. I'm not sure that is a choice of author I would include, especially considering his most popular book would be an inappropriate choice for MOST children of the target demographic. Another small issue I had (although it didn't hinder my enjoyment of this story) was the illustrations for Stan Lee's chapter had him saying "Excelsior!" which he is known for saying, but with no explanation for WHY he says that. If the child reading is unfamiliar with Stan Lee, this may lead to inquiry needs for the child. This is true of a few other similar small details in other chapters, as well. Inquiry is never a bad thing, but it is something a librarian, teacher, or parent may want to be aware of so they are prepared to help the child with that need. The illustrations are beautiful and add to the story. I found myself really studying and appreciating the illustrations. Many of the stories had repetitive themes (poverty, academic issues, etc.). In general, though, the sense that "authors are just like you" was very prevalent in this book and may help children to relate better to authors who are seen as legendary. Lastly, to be a little nitpicky, I would have liked for the diverse choices to be more focused on modern day authors children are more likely to have read. The ones chosen were Langston Hughes, Sherman Alexie, and Zora Neale Hurston. I've already outlined my issues with Alexie as a choice, and while I acknowledge that Hurston and Hughes were both important and incredibly influential, it is unlikely a child this age would have read Their Eyes Were Watching God or many of Hughes' poems. I would have liked to see someone like Jaqueline Woodson or Linda Sue Park highlighted (authors of color who actually write for this demographic). All in all, I think it is well written, has appealing illustrations, and had a good idea in general. However, I feel this is a bit misguided for the target demographic and that it is perhaps best used as a teacher resource to help introduce certain authors.”

About David Stabler

Author David Stabler and illustrator Doogie Horner have created several books together, including Kid Presidents (Quirk, 2014), Kid Athletes (Quirk, 2015), Kid Artists (Quirk, 2016), and Kid Authors (Quirk, 2017).